The nine (or debatably ten) planets of Earth's solar system had barely begun adapting to interacting with one another when the strange transmission arrived. Allegedly from the administrators of an alien empire so distant it was as unfathomable as im...
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"... for the deception of the crew, they say that we must die."
Alefs mulled over this translated piece from Tonzedié. The trial had moved into process a while ago. The natives expressed with immaculate detail the sin deception was. They hooted and shouted, throwing their clubs into the air along with their words. Alefs remained focused on the judges she was to be attentive to. "Tell them that I understand the grievance that we have caused." She paused to let Tonzedié translate. Before Alefs could say more for him to translate, the natives went into a rabble. They sounded quite angry. Not as angry as at first, when they had tried to impale her with a spear, but still angry.
"They said that this does not amount to the payment and that..." Tonzedié's ears twitched. "... the crew must learn their lesson."
Alefs was pretty sure that the lesson had been learned. "Please tell them that we all mistakes, do we not? My crew has made an honest mistake, out of fear for their lives on a strange, beautiful planet that is yours, and if you would let us all leave, we would like to become friends and on good terms, to share with others of the wrongdoing that we have done, so that they may know of your race and what we have done to offend you. That way, it would not happen again."
They had been going back and forth for what seemed like an hour at this point. The main problem seemed to be that they demanded justice from "Captain Alefs'" crew, but appeared not to have too many qualms with Alefs herself.
This offer, however, seemed to make them chatter amongst one another with more interest, once Tonzedié had translated it. Alefs truly believed that she was making headway. Perhaps the rest of Captain Haynes' plan would need not be implemented. He was taking an awful long time, anyhow.
An unusually slender native came running into the hut, catching Alefs' eye. It started speaking to the judges in what Alefs thought may have been a hurried tone. It created a disturbance.
"What is going on, Major Ando?" Alefs asked the feline-like translator.
Tonzedié strained to listen. "I... am not sure. It sounds like—"
The native fell to the ground, unmoving. Red liquid came from its head. For a second, Alefs was confused, then dumbfounded. The native had been shot... dead...? She blinked, not sure if she was seeing the scene right.
That was only the start.
The sound of weaponry split the air all around them. More disturbingly, cries and screams followed.
Natives started running outside. Battle cries mingled with the calls of death. Who was attacking? Another native species? They had not come prepared for this...
"Get us out of here before they kill us too!" Zanth snapped at Tonzedié and Alefs. Chaos was ensuing all around them.
A few natives were running toward the crew, clubs and spears raised.
